The dark side of the ‘summer of a lifetime’: young Britons exploited in jobs at Mediterranean party resorts

The Observer has uncovered allegations of exploitative practices by middlemen offering summer jobs in European party destinations such as Ayia Napa , Zante, Ibiza and Magaluf.

The main agencies have offices in the UK and advertise heavily on TikTok and Instagram.

They claim to provide a “complete package” including jobs, event entry and accommodation, typically costing 500-800 for a month .

But the agencies don’t arrange or guarantee jobs and those signing up need to find work themselves.

Brenna Cunningham , 19 , who paid for a package with Workers Family , said she was promised a full recruitment consultation, organised job trials and meet-and-greet with employers’ Some ex-workers also claim they were housed in poor accommodation far from the glossy marketing photos.

The Home Office issued a warning to people heading for the Balearics about the risks of labour exploitation.

Trading standards teams in the UK are understood to be considering complaints about working holiday firms.

The Advertising Standards Authority is examining evidence about marketing.

The agencies appear to fall into a regulatory grey area between travel agencies and recruitment businesses.

They are not covered by schemes to protect travel customers nor regulations governing employment agencies.